What middle schoolers like about electives

Here at H-B Woodlawn, we pride ourselves on the wide variety of electives available to our students. They vary from robotics, to film, to yearbook. But what do students love about their electives? Let’s find out. I interviewed six students in total, here are some common traits I found among their answers.

Many people seemed to like their electives because of the hands-on portion of the class. “I like clay,” said Dillon, a 7th grader, who’s taking art this semester and took it last semester as well. It seems a better part of middle schoolers enjoy getting their hands dirty during class. Art was highly recommended to new sixth graders. Many described Zach, the middle school art teacher, as “chill” or “laid-back” while still being a good educator.

The 8th graders enjoyed the “freedom and responsibility” that came with their electives. H-B is famous for giving trust to students, where other middle schools might not be so lenient. “I like the freedom but also like the responsibility that comes with it. Like you have to work on stuff for Journalism. You get the responsibility to do that, but you also get the freedom to be able to do that,” says Anne, an 8th grader.

Many students choose their electives either because they have already taken that elective, or because they want to try something new. A lot of students reason that they want to try something new, while they still can.

Another common trait that was obvious among the answers were the performing electives. Almost everyone that was interviewed said that they really enjoyed being able to use their voice or an instrument. “Improv is my favorite part in theater,” said Mary, a 6th grader. Mary is taking chorus and theater this semester.

So, when all is said and done, all of the electives at H-B are all unique and are highly enjoyable. You’re sure to find something you love here at H-B!